CFE agenda 041017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Orange County Commission for the Environment CFE Committee Priorities (updated May 2016) Air and Energy Resources Committee (May Becker, Tom Eisenhart, Bill Newby) 1. GHG Emissions Inventory — Consider whether it is feasible and worthwhile to conduct a comprehensive update of the County 2005 greenhouse gas emissions inventory. 2. Green Building — Help the County develop an incentive program for green construction. 3. Climate Change — Educate county residents about climate change, alternative energy sources and efficiency, and steps to reduce their (and County government's) carbon footprint. 4. Energy Efficiency — Partner with Piedmont Electric Membership Corp and /or Duke Energy to take advantage of USDA program for low- interest loans for energy efficient upgrades for its members /owners. Water Resources Committee (Peter Cada, Rebecca Ray, Sheila Thomas - Ambat, Bill Kaiser) 1. Stream Buffers — Conduct a literature review of the science in support of maintaining vegetative buffers to protect water quality, aquatic habitat, and biodiversity. 2. Hydrilla Treatments — Continue to educate the public about hydrilla and other invasive species of concern; continue to monitor chemical treatments to assure they are not harmful to rivers. 3. Surface and Ground Water Quality — Increase the collection of data for surface and ground water quality; increase public education so it might lead to more funding for data collection. 4. Water Supply — Continue to educate county residents about our water supply and what steps can be taken to improve /maintain quality and quantity of future water supplies into the future. Land Resources Committee (Loren Hintz, Jeanette O'Connor, Lydia Wegman, David Welch, Lynne Gronback) 1. Comprehensive Conservation Plan — Collaborate on the development of a comprehensive conservation plan for Orange County for Legacy program and others to protect natural areas and wildlife habitat. Consider ways to ensure conservation land is distributed equitably throughout the county so that everyone has reasonable access to enjoy these areas. 2. Native Plant Habitats - Renew collaboration with NC Botanical Garden and others to identify significant roadside habitat for native plants; then ask NCDOT and other utilities to eliminate the use of herbicides to manage vegetation in those special roadside habitats. 3. Native Landscaping - Educate homeowners and businesses on reasons to choose a diversity of regionally native species for landscaping and other ways to promote biodiversity.